The 2021 Report from the Summer Season is here! Written by Shiretoko Serai (Our guesthouse in Rausu)’s Nature Guide, Kaito Imahori.
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There were more than 100 Killer Whales that visited Rausu. The Nemuro Strait, located between Rausu and Kunashiri Island, has had multiple families of whales visit every year starting from around May, to the end of July. The latest research suggests that the Nemuro Strait, may perhaps be a meeting place for the different groups so they can look for future partners.
This is a resident pod that is fishing together, which have downward pointing white patches around their eyes.
In the beginning of June 2021, I was able to observe a significant and amazing sight! We found a family pod of three mothers with a newborn child, near Rausu Port. While running side by side with this group in the sightseeing boat, I saw many unusual behaviors, such as a mother swimming upside down to feed her baby breast milk, just near the boat.
I also encountered another great scene this year. It was in mid-June, when I could see a gathering of 4 family groups at once, perhaps they were in the process of mating, but the males were swimming upside down with their penis out, courting the females from the other pod.
Even though I could not capture it in a photo, there was also another event worth noting that happened in late July. There were 2 white killer whales, a male and a female who appeared at the same time, which became major news. There are only a few places in the world where you can observe whales so closely, but it is because so many whales gather in Rausu, that you might see such unique and rare scenes like these.
Photo & text: Kaito Imahori (Shiretoko Serai)
Observation: Jun 2021, Rausu, Shiretoko, Hokkaido
*Contact us, Saiyu Travel for more information about wildlife and bird watching in Hokkaido. We can make various arrangements for your trip. We have a guesthouse, Shiretoko Serai, in Rausu, Shiretoko Peninsula.
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